Capote Page #2

How'd you know? How did you know?!

NELLE:

"Just when you think they've gotten

as good as they can get."

TRUMAN:

You think that was too much?

( laughter )

I thought that was a good line.

More laughter. More smacking of Truman. Then it is quiet.

NELLE:

Pathetic.

9A INT . TRUMAN AND HARPER LEE ' 8 CABIN, TRAIN - MORNING 9A

Nelle's awake, but still in her bunk, looking out the window

at the Kansas plains. Truman's dressing, watching her.

CUT TO:

10 OMIT 10

11 EXT. COUNTRYSIDE - DAY 11 *

TRAVELING SHOTS of harvested FIELDS, grazing LIVESTOCK,

solitary FARMHOUSES.

The TRAIN chugs across the Kansas flatlands.

SHOTS of SIGNS outside Garden City: "World's Largest Free

Swimpool" and "Howdy, Stranger! Welcome to Garden City. A

Friendly Place. "

12 EXT. GARDEN CITY RENT-A-CAR - DAY 12 *

Truman and Nelle rent a car. People stare.

13 I/E. RENTAL CAR - DAY 13 *

Nelle drives past the main square, Truman in the passenger

seat. Truman looks at a photo in THE GARDEN CITY TELEGRAM.

TRUMAN:

Alvin Dewey, Kansas Bureau of

Investigation. KBI.

Truman and Nelle check in. People stare. Nelle notices.

Green

15 OMIT 15

16 EXT. FINNEY COUNTY COURTHOUSE, GARDEN CITY - CONTINUOUS 16 *

Truman and Nelle trot up the COURTHOUSE STEPS.

17 INT. FINNEY COUNTY COURTHOUSE, LOBBY - MOMENTS LATER 17 *

Truman approaches the GUARD DESK.

TRUMAN:

Mr. Alvin Dewey, please.

GUARD:

Third floor. In what used to be

the Sheriff ' s Off ice.

Truman CURTSIES .

18 INT. SHERIFF'S OFFICE - DAY 18 *

In the reception area, ALVIN DEWEY and the two other KBI

AGENTS assigned to the Clutter case are getting their jackets

on and straightening their ties. They've completely taken

over the office. They are: HAROLD "Brother" NYE (34); and

ROY "CurlyN CHURCH (60 - bald). They all smoke.

Sheriff WALTER SANDERSON - 601s, kind, overweight - is off iceless

(though he and his wife DOROTHY still live on the fourth

floor of the Courthouse. ) WALTER lurks in the background,

nowhere to go, emptying one of many FILLED ASHTRAYS, BOTHERED

by the SMOKE. Truman and Nelle enter as:

CHURCH:

The wife said no more smoking in

the house. I told her, "Fine.

Walter's got a couch upstairs in

his apartment. I'll stay with him

and Dorothy till we're done here."

(to Walter)

(MORE )

CHURCH (cont ' d)

I've got my bag and a carton of

cigarettes in the car.

WALTER looks uncomfortable. Dewey shakes his head at Church.

DEWEY:

Roy.

TRUMAN:

Mr. Dewey. Truman Capote from the

New Yorker.

Silence. The Agents stare at him.

TRUMAN (cont 'd)

Hello.

Silence. Nye is looking at Truman, particularly puzzled.

TRUMAN (cont ' d)

Bergdorf's.

NYE:

Sorry?

TRUMAN:

The scarf.

NYE:

Oh.

(then)

Nice.

TRUMAN:

Thank you.

(turns to Dewey)

I wonder when we could arrange an

interview? Some time to talk.

Dewey stubs out his cigarette.

DEWEY:

About what?

TRUMAN:

We're not looking for any inside

information - I don't care one way

or another if you catch whoever did

this - I'm writing an article not

about the Clutter killings, but how

they're affecting the town, how you

all are bearing up -

Green

DEWEY:

I care.

TRUMAN:

Excuse me?

DEWEY:

I care.

(puts on his hat, pulls

out another cigarette)

I care a great deal if we catch

whoever did this.

TRUMAN:

Yes -

DEWEY:

As do a lot of folks around here.

TRUMAN:

Of course.

Dewey walks out. Nye and Church start out after him.

NYE:

(to Church)

New Yorker?

CHURCH:

You have press credentials?

NYE:

What's the New Yorker?

CHURCH:

Magazine.

TRUMAN:

Magazines don't give out -

CHURCH'

You can come to the news conference

with the rest of them.

(tips his hat to Nelle)

Sears and Roebuck.

Nelle and Truman are left alone.

INT. SPARE COURTROOM - DAY

Packed with PRESS from all over the Midwest, as well as local

Finney County CITIZENS.

Green 11/2/05 9.

Dewey's leading the press conference from a FOLDING TABLE set

up in front of the Judge's bench, flanked by the two other

KBI Agents. He's got a cigarette burning in an ashtray.

Truman and Nelle stand in the back.

DEWEY:

I'll talk facts but I won't

speculate. The main fact here we need to be clear on is not one, but

four people were killed. A lot of

folks say Herb Clutter had to be

the main target because he was

dealt with the most brutally -

JOURNALIST #1

Had his throat cut.

DEWEY:

(a moment)

Yes. We'd all like to know why.

But it could've been any one of the

family they were after. We just

don't know -

JOURNALIST 82

You've identified the murder

weapon?

DEWEY:

Wounds indicate a shotgun, closerange,

but no casings were found.

JOURNALIST #l

Twelve-gauge, hunting -

DEWEY:

Right.

JOURNALIST #1

They were all shot in the face?

Dewey looks at the journalist. Then, evenly:

DEWEY:

No. Nancy in the back of the head.

JOURNALIST #2

Is there any evidence of, I'm

sorry, sexual molestation of the

women?

DEWEY:

NO.

Green

JOURNALIST #2

Anything else stolen?

DEWEY:

Kenyon's radio seems to be the

only. . .

JOURNALIST #3

The boy was sixteen?

DEWEY:

Fifteen. Nancy was sixteen.

JOURNALIST #2

It's her friend that found them?

DEWEY:

Laura Kinney .

JOURNALIST #2

Spell that?

DEWEY:

I assume you're okay with the Laura

part. K-I-N-N-E-Y. But, please,

leave her be.

Lots of folks try to talk at once, one OLD MAN makes himself

heard above the rest:

OLD MAN:

There's talk of a bunch of

Mexicans, a whole bunch of

Mexicans. . .

DEWEY:

(standing, stubs out

cigarette)

George, it's good to see you again.

I do have an opinion whether this

was the work of one man or a whole

bunch, as you said, but it doesn't

matter a whole lot whether it was

Mexicans or Methodists or Eskimos.

We're going to find whoever did

this. Four good people from our

community are dead. Let's remember

that. Okay with you?

(holds up a notice)

The West Kansas Farm Committee's

offering a thousand dollar reward

for information leading to an

arrest. Please print that.

( MORE )

DEWEY (cont'd)

(moving to the exit)

Thank you all for coming.

The room is immediately noisy as Dewey makes his way to the

door, pulling a pack of cigarettes from his pocket, followed

by Church and Nye. He's about to step out when Truman

catches his eye. Dewey exits.

CUT TO:

2 0 INT. RENTAL CAR - LATE AFIERNOON 20 *

Nelle drives while consulting a MAP. Truman is leaning back,

looking out at the passing farms through the window. He

speaks almost to himself.

TRUMAN:

Mr. Dewey's protective of the

Clutters. I wonder how well he

knew them...

Nelle glances over at him. He doesn't notice.

TRUMAN (cont'd)

He was foxy with that old man.

(turns to Nelle)

Are you ever gonna let me drive?

NELLE:

Truman, you're a menace. You can

barely see over the wheel.

Truman looks back out the window at the farms, leans back.

NELLE (cont ' d)

This make you miss Alabama?

TRUMAN:

(rolling window down,

shakes his head)

Not even a little bit.

He leans his head out, closes his eyes.

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